Reflections within a Dream
by yoshmaster5
Summary: The Instruments of the Sirens have been gathered, and all that remains is to awaken the Wind Fish.  Link has a night to think to himself, after an encounter with Marin.    Rated M for consensual sexual descriptions, possibly lime/lemon category.


_Disclaimer:_ I do not own the rights to the scenario, story, or characters in The Legend of Zelda franchise.

**Reflections within a Dream**

A waning moon shines down on Koholint Island as a gentle sea breeze flows onshore. I smell the ocean, a faint salty scent as it wafts into the small cottage at Mabe Village's eastern border. I sit against the wall, shivering slightly as the wind brushes over my bare form, my hair rustling.

I glance over at the silhouette of the strawberry-red haired maiden—woman now—in the nearby bed. I breathe out a heavy sigh.

By the Goddesses, what did I do? Yes, I was attracted to her the moment I saw her. Yes, the sexual tension was palpable by the time she taught me the Ballad of the Wind Fish. The trip to Animal Village was one of the most nerve-racking experiences of my life...and then the rescue at Tal Tal Heights. Even Sahasrahla would have seen it if we were in the Dark World!

My tattered and faded green tunic lays against the bedpost. My light-brown undershirt is now stained a darker brown from sweat and grime and is draped over my shield.

Why is she so appealing to me? I mean...the only other time I was attracted to someone was Zelda, and that was from us working together for so long. Well, working together defined as 'I contact you telepathically and then you try rescuing people' until I joined the Hyrulian Guard. The sexual tension grew slowly, and then the King assigned me to guard the ambassador to the land of Termina.

I glance over at my sword which leans against the desk chair. Its sheath is emboldened with the emblem of the Triforce and the Hyrule coat of arms. Zelda gave that sword to me to honor my appointment to the kingdom's Royal Guard. It is a perfect replica of the Master Sword. When the King announced my position as the ambassador to Termina's guard, and Zelda herself traveled to the port west of Kakariko Village to see us off. That and she wanted to consummate our budding relationship before I left.

Zelda. Why did I fall for her? It really was not the whole 'princess' or 'royalty' aspect. She's intelligent, witty, a huge sarcastic streak, gorgeous, and a skilled magician. We only started courting after I joined the Guard, even then it was sporadic because of our responsibilities and Zelda's wish to keep it secret...as well as mine. Every step needed to be worked for, as we found our little quirks. Zelda's sarcasm usually getting the better of her, being demanding or impatient, and failing to communicate when she's deeply worried. Myself, well, taciturn and distant, never asking her anything, usually being satisfied with the least effort from both of us, while Zelda stays a perfectionist.

I chuckle to myself. Funny that the descendant of the Knights of Hyrule, defeater of Ganon, and freer of the Sacred Realm relinquishes any perfectionist ideals when it applies to interpersonal relationships. Probably more committed to my duty as a knight than a role as Zelda's secret consort. Until I washed up here, at least.

Marin...she is the same type of person. Clever, hints of a sarcastic attitude, beautiful, a great musician, and one of the most caring individuals I have ever met. Everything just...happened with her. A tender kiss when we departed at the Yarna desert, even if I felt some misgivings afterward. All her quirks are cute or attractive: nervousness of any interest, a tendency to hum when not talking, and even prodding me at the perfect times to open up. She thinks and acts on the same pattern as me. Every step we took seemed natural, perfect. I roll my head to watch her, sleeping as securely as Sahasrahla's cat.

Even our act of, well, making love was perfect. Maybe that is why I feel so uneasy. We barely needed to say a word during the entire act, or even everything before we lost ourselves in each other. Tarin wandered off again when I pledged to escort Marin back, and we got back to Mabe without problems. She insisted I clean myself before entering the house. I returned from the well with more water, washed off, and as I walked into the house Marin fell into my arms, the stress of her kidnapping by some monsters she could not name finally impacting her. I just held her for a while, until she looked up with those hazel eyes and kissed me. Everything flowed from there, without hesitation, awkwardness, or any problems.

Zelda...what a mess. I will never forget that experience. If we ever meet again, hopefully we can laugh. We met up at the inn, and immediately after locking the door to my room ran into trouble when I could not get her corset undone. Her dress got stuck on the floor, and I ended up turning the corset tie into a knot. Zelda just gave up and told me to cut it off with a dagger, that she would come up with an explanation later. The dress managed to avoid injury. Then she got self-conscious, covering herself with an arm while I started to disrobe, and then ordered me to keep my pants on. I pointed out the obvious, and she just stammered, finally admitting she was scared. Still, that woman is determined, and pushed it away to take the rest of my clothes off in a manner that knocked me off balance. At that point we decided to disrobe everything else ourselves.

Even fully nude, she seemed scared by the numerous scars on my arms, legs, chest, and even one along my neck (thanks go to the Helmasaur King's tail for that near-death experience) and turned away. Me, being a nervous fool, failed to say anything. That and she started complaining that she was slightly overweight based on my physique, eventually turning into a nervous babble. I spoke to stop her after about half a minute, turned her around, and embraced her. She stopped, and it seemed that nothing else would go wrong. Then we laid down, kissed, caressed and fondled each other for a bit, and then after another awkward moment, decided to cross the final barrier. And then it did not fit. I could not enter her, and despite Zelda's assurances she'd be fine, trying to push in caused her to start convulsing in pain.

I asked some of the guards about a woman's first time before we tried. They knew I was seeing someone, just that I never revealed her identity. They said that a sharp pain occurs at first, but quickly fades away during the actual act. Zelda... that failed to take place, her cries halting our attempted intercourse. I stopped trying to push in, Zelda scrambled out from under me to make sure we did not stain anything, inadvertently kneeing me in the groin as she did, then realizing that she was bleeding, tore off a scrap of red fabric and pressed it against herself. Then yelled at me to come over and hold her because I was sitting still on the bed like an idiot. I moaned that she kicked me in the groin, which Zelda first denied, but changed her mind upon seeing the pained expression on my face and the red spot near my legs. She whispered an apology, and I tentatively wrapped my arms around her. Once she finally stopped bleeding from my brief intrusion, she felt around and moaned in frustration upon realizing that what the ladies-in-waiting called a hymen was still there. At that point I just started laughing at the absurdity of the situation, which Zelda accompanied after a moment of stunned silence on her part. The rest of the night we just snuggled together, Zelda pledging to both try and prepare herself next time, and also to order her chefs to make smaller portions and ride more on horseback. Myself...she told me to actually say something instead of being a silent dope, at which point she giggled, kissed me on the cheek, and told me to get a corset before we tried again and learn to tie and untie it.

Marin, no problems at all. She was entranced by the scars, and rubbed a hibiscus petal across them. Her clothes were no problem, she went at exactly my pace, and always knew what exactly I wanted. She grasped my hands as I stole her innocence, squirming from the sensations as my own body shook. Her moans and my own cries were muffled by each others lips as instinct took over, our movements becoming a frenzied dance. I felt her climax before I did, I'm not sure how much sooner, but she convulsed beneath me. Then I reached my peak, hands tightening against hers as I continued our instinctual ballet.

I guess it is because our intercourse was so perfect. That **Marin** is so perfect. She has no flaws. Zelda's flaws are obvious to me, and they make her whole. Everything seems ideal with Marin.

"Link?" a sweet, sleepy voice spoke as it reaches my ears. I look over to see Marin slowly walking toward me with her traveling cloak wrapped around her slim frame.

"You woke up," I mutter, drained. "Why do you have the cloak?"

"In case anyone who doesn't have the courage to rescue a young maiden with only his wits wants to look in," she responds with a sweet smile, "Why are you sitting over here?"

"I needed to think," I answer after hesitating slightly.

Marin kneels down next to me, and passes a hibiscus flower into my left hand. "It's late, Link, and we exhausted ourselves. You're heading to the Wind Fish's Egg tomorrow, so you need rest," she whispers, and wraps the cloak around the two of us.

I acquiesce and stand up with her, but I hesitate before walking to the bed. "Marin, do you regret it? I...don't know what will happen tomorrow," I whisper, my voice shaking.

Marin turns to me. She lets go of the cloak and wraps her arms around me, pulling herself into a deep kiss. I hesitate for a second until instinct kicks in, and I return the kiss. We broke for air, and I tighten our embrace. She pushes herself away to look me in the eyes before whispering, her voice husky, "Never."

She leads me back to the bed, making sure I lay down before joining me under the light covers, snuggling against my form with a contented sigh. Only a minute or so pass until she is breathing deeply in my arms.

What will happen tomorrow? The Southern Face Shrine stated that Koholint and everything upon it is the dream of the Wind Fish. Those monsters that called themselves nightmares that barred me from the Instruments of the Sirens yelled that I would destroy everything. Declared that all of this is a dream. Koholint, the Instruments, the dungeons, even themselves.

I tilt my head down, the sweet smell of hibiscus reaching my nostrils.

Marin is perfect. No flaws, completely understanding, the ideal woman. Perfect. Like out of a dream. And our loving was out of a fantasy. Exactly like a dream.

A chill inadvertently races down my spine.

For so long, I could not believe it. I did not want to believe it. Now I finally accept the truth.

Koholint Island, and all its denizens—human and monster—are part of the Wind Fish's dream.

I can finally understand what those creatures meant. What the Shrine spoke of, and what the owl refers to in its myriad of riddles. All the people here are...created from the Wind Fish's imagination. From **my** imagination. That's why Marin was created. She is the surrogate Zelda, but without the flaws that make Zelda a human being. That explains why I thought she was Zelda when I woke up all those weeks ago.

And now, what of this woman in my arms? Will she just fade away? My dreams before were based in reality, but what of this world?

Perhaps the Wind Fish knows. The answer is not something I can know right now. I made my promises to the people of Mabe Village that I would eliminate the monsters forbidding travel by anyone, with the exception of Tarin who has issues with sanity. I must awaken the Wind Fish. That is the only way to fulfill my promise to the people here. The Instruments are freed and ready to be called. Then...

What? Do I try and get back to Hyrule? Do I look Zelda in the eyes and tell her I was unfaithful? Or that I fell for a dream version of her without flaws? Goddesses help me. Maybe the Wind Fish will have some advice. I just do not know.

I need sleep. Goddesses above, that statement makes no sense now. Tomorrow I can think about what to do and what to say. Or I may never know. Maybe Zelda could forgive me because it was not 'real.' But it felt real. I...am at a loss. I am not good with relationship issues, and I am trying to think about this with a naked woman in my arms.

I just opened the way to the Golden Realm, and found nothing but questions and uncertainty. I guess it makes sense, somehow. Sahasrahla would probably say it is destiny, or something equally confusing and out of my hands.

May as well enjoy a physical pleasure for the moment. No...it is not the same. That night I spent with Zelda, at least we both fell asleep contented, even if our attempted tryst failed miserably.

Zelda, Princess, please forgive me.

_Author's Note:_

I'm running under the assumption that Link rescues Marin after Turtle Rock. A bit out of order from what is intended, but I find it fits better if he heard about it from the telephone house near dungeon 8 rather than wandering upon the scene after Eagle's Tower.

This idea came about from a couple of random thoughts. The first being, "What if Link realized he was in a dream, and decided to do whatever the hell he wanted?" Then my moral side kicked in and realized that's terrible, and that someone probably already wrote that. Hurray for Rule 34.

Then the entire concept of Link's Awakening came about, which is pretty dark. Even if you do believe that Marin escaped by the Wind Fish transforming her into a seagull, the ending is still pretty dang depressing. For Link to realize this, well, it's a mixture of confusion and muted horror. And I would also think that he'd be in denial himself for a while.

The last bit is how intercourse is in fiction versus real life. I think I explained that enough in this fic, and the last bit of humiliation for the Link/Zelda tryst is from a true story, something that happened to one of my friends, who mentioned he and his girlfriend tried to, but that it didn't fit. That elicits mockery even three years later, but is something that can happen. And realizing this is what finally snaps Link out of denial. And then more angst.

I'm not a light-hearted person, am I? Either way, please read, review, and offer any criticism you can find. It helps considerably, it really does.

-yoshmaster5


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